Town probes water pressure issue in fire

Neil Vigdor

Updated 10:45 pm, Monday, November 19, 2012

The aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich, on Oct. 30, 2012. Greenwich fire officials met Monday, Nov. 19, 2012 with representatives of Aquarion Water Co. to try to determine the reliability of the utility’s infrastructure.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, second from left, tours the site of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich the day after Hurricane Sandy hit Old Greenwich, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2012. At right is Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei.

Photo: Bob Luckey

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, second from left, tours the site of a house...

The aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2012, the day after Hurricane Sandy hit in Old Greenwich.

Photo: Bob Luckey

The aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich,...

The aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2012, the day after Hurricane Sandy hit in Old Greenwich.

Photo: Bob Luckey

The aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich,...

Ellie Lobrano, 15, views the aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2012, during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in Old Greenwich. Lobrano said she lives across the street from the fire.

Photo: Bob Luckey

Ellie Lobrano, 15, views the aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney...

At left, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy views the scene of the aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich with Greenwich Fire Chief Peter Siecienski, right, the day after Hurricane Sandy hit Old Greenwich, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2012.

Photo: Bob Luckey

At left, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy views the scene of the aftermath of...

The aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2012, the day after Hurricane Sandy hit in Old Greenwich.

Photo: Bob Luckey

The aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich,...

The aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2012, the day after Hurricane Sandy hit in Old Greenwich.

Photo: Bob Luckey

The aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich,...

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, third from left, views the scene of the aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich with Greenwich Fire Chief Peter Siecienski, right, the day after Hurricane Sandy hit Old Greenwich, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2012. At left is Congressman Jim Himes and Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei, second from left.

Photo: Bob Luckey

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, third from left, views the scene of the...

The aftermath of a house fire at 36 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2012, the day after Hurricane Sandy hit in Old Greenwich.

Photo: Bob Luckey

The aftermath of a house fire at 36 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich,...

The aftermath of a house fire at 36 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2012, the day after Hurricane Sandy hit in Old Greenwich.

Photo: Bob Luckey

The aftermath of a house fire at 36 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich,...

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, left, speaks with the media at the scene of the aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich the day after Hurricane Sandy hit Old Greenwich, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2012. At center is Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei, at right is Congressman Jim Himes.

Photo: Bob Luckey

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, left, speaks with the media at the scene of...

The aftermath of a house fire at 36 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2012, the day after Hurricane Sandy hit in Old Greenwich.

Photo: Bob Luckey

The aftermath of a house fire at 36 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich,...

The aftermath of a house fire at 44 Binney Lane in Old Greenwich, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2012, the day after Hurricane Sandy hit in Old Greenwich.

Hampered by a lack of water pressure at the nearest hydrant to three homes destroyed in a fire during Superstorm Sandy, Greenwich fire officials met Monday with representatives of Aquarion Water Co. to try to determine the reliability of the utility's infrastructure.

On Oct. 29, firefighters were forced to transport water to Binney Lane in Old Greenwich from outlying hydrants by tanker truck because the nearest hydrant was plagued by low pressure, according to Fire Chief Peter Siecienski.

Siecienski said in an interview that the homes would not have been saved had the hydrant worked properly, but expressed concerns about water pressure in the area.

"We're just trying to work with Aquarion to see if that's a systemic problem," said Siecienski, who, along with Assistant Fire Chief Robert Kick, huddled with water company officials at the Sound Beach fire house.

A spokesman for Aquarion did not respond to a message seeking comment Monday.

First Selectman Peter Tesei, the town's fire commissioner and chief elected official, said the affected homeowners have spoken to him about the problem.

"If I lived there, I would want to know," Tesei said. "Aquarion certainly has an obligation to provide the town and private associations who utilize their service an assessment of their utility and its ability to function."

Firefighters endured 80-mph winds off Long Island Sound while they battled the firestorm, but could not save the three multimillion-dollar homes and a stand-alone garage in the private enclave.

The street numbers of the homes that were destroyed on Binney Lane were 36, 44 and 45, the latter of which is where the fire started.

"If the hydrant had all the pressure in the world, they weren't going to do any better given the way the winds were whipping," Siecienski said of firefighters.

At a minimum, Siecienski said a flow of 500 gallons per minute is considered adequate water pressure for a hydrant.

The nearest hydrant on the shoulder of Binney Lane didn't come close, he said.

"It wasn't what we're accustomed to seeing out of a fire hydrant," Siecienski said.

Siecienski said he suspects the underground mains were installed decades ago with the intent of providing potable water to the neighborhood and the hydrants were an add-on.

"In some cases, the diameter of those lines don't meet modern-day fire protection needs," he said.

The mains in that area are most likely made of cast iron, which Siecienski said is prone to sedimentation and other obstructions that could pose a problem for a 4-inch to 6-inch pipe.

"Those mains are so old they could be encrusted," Siecienski said. "It's a townwide issue, obviously."

Contrary to some speculation that low pressure was caused by a power supply issue at the Mianus water treatment plant, Siecienski said he did not believe that to be the case because most of the water main network relies on gravity for pressure.

Aquarion will concentrate its water flow testing on the area of Binney Lane, Shore Road and Sound Beach Avenue in Old Greenwich, according to Siecienski.

"Typically, they don't do water flow testing unless there's new construction going in," he said.

During last month's inferno, firefighters connected to hydrants closer to Sound Beach Avenue and transported the water by tanker truck to Binney Lane. They stored the water in a portable tank.